ROUND ROCK, TX--(Marketwired - March 31, 2016) - ClearCorrect, LLC, a leading U.S. manufacturer of clear aligners, is pleased to announce that the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit today denied the petitions for rehearing en banc that were filed by the International Trade Commission (ITC) and Align Technology, Inc. in case number 2014-1527. This is another U.S. court decision in favor of ClearCorrect, supporting the company's position that its clear aligner product complies with legal standards and does not infringe Align's patents.

The ITC or Align Technology may ask the United States Supreme Court to review the case, but such a review is unlikely to occur under the present circumstances. Last November, the U.S. Appeals Court ruled in favor of ClearCorrect, ruling that the ITC was without jurisdiction to regulate electronic transmission of data and today's reaffirmation of that decision is a victory not only for ClearCorrect, but the entire orthodontic industry.

"Denial of these petitions solidifies our victory in both actions we faced in the ITC," said Jarrett Pumphrey, ClearCorrect's CEO. "Based on the Federal Circuit's ruling last November, we expected today's outcome and are pleased that we will have no liability from either of these cases," he added.

"Today's result, coupled with last year's settlement of a civil action with Align where both parties agreed to dismiss their claims, means that three-quarters of the litigation Align initiated against ClearCorrect has now been resolved," said Michael D. Myers, ClearCorrect's attorney in the case and a partner with the Houston, Texas law firm McClanahan Myers Espey, LLP.

Align's final remaining lawsuit against ClearCorrect is a patent infringement case in a Texas federal court that had been stayed pending the resolution of the ITC actions. In anticipation of this case, ClearCorrect initiated reexaminations with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) of 6 of the 9 Align patents asserted in the suit. The USPTO has the jurisdiction and authority to judge the validity of patents. Those key patents are now at risk of being cancelled, as thus far, the USPTO has indicated agreement with ClearCorrect's position that all 75 claims of the patents in question are invalid.

"Unless and until all the claims against the company are dropped or resolved, ClearCorrect must continue to defend itself. And those defensive efforts are progressing quite well," Myers said.